Chapter 7 - Is she going to trick me?
1857 Words
The following day, Nathan had a great time after finally meeting Kimberly again. No wonder he seems to be smiling and even humming most of the time. He works with a positive attitude and is under no pressure. Nathan walks over to Amy Shever's workspace, his secretary.
"Amy, I'm expecting a call at eleven in the morning; would you please connect it to me as soon as you receive it?" It was the first time he had courteously given the order, and she was perplexed by the abrupt shift in demeanor that her superior had recently displayed.
"Sure, Sir." She replied, but it was clear from the look on her face that his approach took her aback.
"Good!" He smiled and walked back to his office, carrying another set of paperwork given to him by the director's office.
"Wow! What's wrong with him now?" Amy couldn't believe what she was hearing after she listened to his humming while leaving the room.
It is twenty minutes after eleven o'clock, but he has not yet received the call he is waiting for.
"Still haven't got it?" He attempts to get in touch with his secretary for the third time and he is now showing signs of growing frustration.
"Not yet Sir." She replied, her tone subdued out of fear that the good mood he had earlier worn off and that he would begin to yell once more.
"Fine! Connect it quickly when you receive it!" His tone becomes casual, the real Nathan Conner she is accustomed to hearing.
"Whoever this person is, God, please tell him to call now, or else this day will become a disaster again!" She prayed silently.
Nathan was losing his patience as he sat there waiting, so he started tapping his pen on the desk and moving back and forth in his chair. He has a lot of negative thoughts going through his head, which is making his temperature rise.
"I warned her not to trick me." He murmured.
"What if I'm wrong? What if she changes her mind and plays a trick on me? One hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money for someone like her. What if she's already run away? Far away, hidden?" He heaved a deep sigh and leaned back in the chair, thinking that money didn't matter. He yearned for another opportunity to see Kimberly, and he let out another sigh that was filled with depression.
Nathan skipped lunch because he was feeling stressed, which made him lose his appetite. As a result, he did not feel like eating. When he finally came to the conclusion that he wanted to go out and have a late lunch, it was already two in the afternoon. It was evident that he was hungry, and he also understood that he required some fresh air. He prayed that his thoughts weren't entirely off.
"Sir!" Her secretary cried out, sounding a little intimidated.
"What?" His behavior shifted as he spoke.
"I simply wished to inquire what it is that I should say to the caller in the event that you are not present." She asked hesitantly.
"Tell her to wait. I need to step out for a second."
"Okay, Sir." He had already started walking away before she could respond.
"Her? Does it mean he's waiting for a woman's call? I thought it was from a business partner. How could it be possible? As far as I know, he hates women." She was confused.
While Kimberly was in a hurry to get to the phone booth, she quickly checked the time on her watch.
"God, it's already two thirty in the afternoon! I hope he's not mad. I wished he was not mad. Please, don't get mad, please." She sobbed as she dialed the number.
Kring... Kring... Kring...
"Conner Marketing Enterprise, Good Afternoon! How may I assist you?" The person on the other line speaks very clearly. Kimberly's mouth hardly moves in response to anything. The last thing she was anticipating was to hear something like this.
"Eerrrrr." She only uttered and was at a loss for words.
"Yes?"
"Eeeeer... I'm looking for Mr. Nathan Conner." She finally manages to speak while visibly shaking.
"Do you have an appointment scheduled?"
"Hmm... None... But he asked me to call this number." She replied.
Amy felt a sense of relief because this could be the call that her boss had been waiting for. However, she thought the woman talked in the manner of a typical citizen. It seems as though she is not a member of the privileged class like her boss.
"Hello?" Kimberly spoke once again as Amy remained silent. In addition to that, she is running late and must get back to work as quickly as possible.
"Oh, yes, I'm sorry." Amy quickly apologized.
"I need to talk to Mr. Nathan Conner. Can I speak with him?" Her voice had become more relaxed.
"Mr. Nathan Conner went out for a moment___."
"What?" She interrupts with dismay.
"Yes, he gave me instructions that whenever I get a call from you, you must wait for him to come back."
"For how long had he been gone?"
"About twenty minutes ago." She answered and heard a deep sigh.
"Can you hang on for a moment? I will contact him to come back and take your call." Amy asked as she felt that the caller might end the conversation.
"I am sorry, but I was such in a hurry. Can you please tell him I did call?" Kimberly asked politely.
"Sir Nathan has been expecting this call since early morning and was agitated. He went out for a while for his late lunch, so please hang on. I'll contact him." The pleasant, fluent voice Kimberly heard a moment ago now echoes with fear.
"Okay." So she agreed while tapping her foot on the ground.
Amy tried calling Nathan at his cell phone number, but to her dismay, the phone she heard ringing was actually in Nathan's office. He left it.
"Gosh!" She got alarmed, and the other line heard it.
"Hello?"
"He left his cell phone in the office. Can you please hang on a little bit more? I will look for him outside."
"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Please do tell him I did call; my name is Kimberly." She asks nicely.
"But can I get your number? He would be upset if I told him, you called but hung up quickly!" The other line insisted and warned her about his boss's unfavorable manners.
"I know." Kimberly mumbled, which prompted Amy to have yet another perplexing thought.
"She knows? They may be in a relationship. What does she look like?" Amy thought.
"So, can you leave me your contact number?" She speaks again after another long pause.
"Sorry, I don't have any; I'm just using the phone booth right now."
"What?" Amy was a bit surprised. "Cell phone number?" She continued.
"None." Kimberly cried softly.
"Seriously?! Is there anyone who exists in this world without a cell phone?" She mocked with a loud laugh.
"Yeah, me, I guess." Kimberly thought of putting the phone down and ending the nonsense conversation.
"I'm sorry I thought you were kidding me." The other line apologizes quickly.
"Anyway, I had to go bye!" Kimberly hung up.
"Wait!"
"Hello, hey! Are you still there?" But no one answers. She is absolutely petrified about the prospect of having to explain what took place to her boss.
A few minutes passed, and Nathan stopped before her desk, surprising her.
"What?" He asked. Amy can't open her mouth to speak.
"Did she call?" He continued, but there was still no response to his question.
"Hey!" He shouted. "Are you deaf!" Nathan became agitated.
"Yes, sir, Kimberly?" She almost whispered.
"What! Why didn't you do what I told you!" Nathan slams his hand down on her desk in an angry manner.
"She said she was in a hurry, I asked her to leave her contact number, but she said none, even a cell phone. At first, I laughed because I thought she was kidding me, but to my surprise, it was true, Sir. " She explained as fast as she could so her boss couldn't argue, and yes, he didn't. Nathan maintained his silence, so she was able to proceed with her speech.
"It surprised me when she said she didn't have a cellphone, and she sounded as though she was normal___."
"Shut up!" Nathan cut her with furies in his eyes of warning. Amy became startled and ducked her head in response.
He returned to his office and slammed the desk before he sat on the swiveling chair. He takes a deep sigh, but in the back of his mind, he is relieved Kimberly didn't run away.
"When would she call again?" He thought.
When the bell sounded, it was already five o'clock, which meant that working hours had come to an end. Amy visited Nathan at his workplace and saw that he was still really busy with his work. Now, he is working hard to complete the task he began working on this morning. Because there is another board meeting tomorrow, he needs to give it back to his father.
"Sir, I'll be going now. Do you want some coffee?" She offered politely.
"No." He answered without glancing. As Amy closed the door, Nathan took a bit of stretching and buried his face in both hands. He stays like it for a while.
Suddenly, the phone rings, and it's the typical mix of clients, customers, and other business associates. Everything that he has to talk to and interact with in order to conduct his business successfully. He answered the phone seeing as how everyone else had already left for the day.
"Conner Marketing Enterprise, Good Afternoon!" He greets, unentertaining.
"Mr. Conner!" Kimberly exclaimed as she heard the familiar voice.
"Kimberly?" Nathan is surprised yet happy. He pulled the phone into his reach.
"Yeah, it's me! I did call you earlier, and even though it's now really late, I still called you. I didn't fool you." She continued to explain with difficulty. While he is taking in her words, Nathan can't help but crack a grin. It is indisputable that he is content.
"Mr. Conner?" Because he didn't answer, she called his name repeatedly.
"Yes, I'm here." The first time this had happened, Nathan was at a loss for words. He was solely interested in listening to her talk.
"I apologize for what happened previously. I had to get going very quickly. I found the woman I had been spoken with earlier to be a little bit bothersome, so I ended the call." She explains even more.
"Don't mind her."
"So, are we going to meet tonight?" She inquired.
"Why? You already miss me?" He was playful.
"Of course not. It's about the deal, remember?" She had a timid personality.
"Yah, the deal. Where are you right now?"
"I'm waiting here for the bus."
"Where exactly are you?"
"Highway 56, along Sunset Drive."
"Keep in place. I shall be there in a moment to pick you up." He said and hung up.
- Writer
